Sobering Experiences
by MissCarbon
Summary: Separated from Morty by rogue aliens, Rick must team up with an unlikely ally in an attempt to save his grandson. But things start to get a little weird when the stranger begins to plague Rick's mind. In the end will it be the stranger who will finally save Rick from himself? [[Rick/OC]]
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer : Rick and Morty is owned by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

It was not supposed to happen this way. The plan was simple. Get in, locate the Cooviyak Swamps on the southern hemisphere of Planet Daxrus, collect the rare berries from the Depresium plant, and get out. That was it. Easy. A no brainer. Doofus Rick could have done it blindfolded. In the past the Coovi aliens had always been a peaceful group, never attacking outsiders. Hell, they had practically handed over the Deprsi Berries the last time he'd visited. Granted he hadn't ventured to this planet in some time and he had never traveled here with a companion; much less with a moody, complaining, idiotic teenage boy. Maybe that was a variable he had overlooked. That one split second decision to bring his grandson along had defiantly been the wrong one. Usually when disaster struck Rick Sanchez always held the upper hand; carrying along with him plenty of ray guns and gadgets just in case things went to shit. He always seem to have the upper hand anywhere he traveled in the universe and usually he did; especially now since Morty had become his dedicated passenger. Unbeknownst to his grandson Rick had definitely tightened up on security anywhere they went together. Even venturing to Planet Daxrus was no different. The ship held plenty of defense mechanisms for them to easily escape a hostile environment but that had been the first thing to go when the Coovi aliens had attacked.

The Cooviyak Swamps were located deep within the Daxrus Mountain Range on the southern tip of the planet. And not being able to reach the smoky swamps by ship Rick and Morty had to venture down the mountains on foot. It was something Rick had done plenty of times before in his life; park the ship on top of one of the red clay mountains, walk the narrow trail down its side, collect the berries that only grew around the swamps, climb back up, leave. They shouldn't have even ran into the planets creatures. It was something Rick had made sure of; flying the ship away from the main swamps that others mainly visited. After they had collected all they could carry back up the mountain Rick was filled with optimism thinking about what he was going to create with the berries as Morty mindlessly chattered away in the background. His mind was racing with different formulas he had been tinkering around with that he didn't even notice Morty had stopped walking until it was too late and he smashed into his grandson's back spilling all the contents out of the large basket he had been carrying.

"What the fuck, Morty! Can't you see that I-I'm walking here?" Rick bent down to begin refilling his basket while grumbling under his breath.

"G-g-grandpa Rick?" Morty stammered nervously.

"Take your basket up to the ship and come back here and help me. Now!" Rick was on his hands and knees crawling around the dusty trail attempting to collect each and every berry that had fallen; turning over any rock, searching under all the nearby bushes.

"B-b-b-but Rick…?"

"What is it Morty?" Rick yelled, finally giving his grandson his full attention, but it wasn't held for long. "Well," he said calmly, standing and putting his hands on his hips. "Wh-what do we have here?"

A line of Coovi aliens blocked the small pathway to the ship. Their colorful slug like appearance didn't faze Rick but the weapons they now garnished did: knives, ray guns, some sort of large shoulder cannon. Rick raised an eyebrow as he accessed the ten aliens before them. Giving them a nonchalant shrug he crouched down to begin refilling his basket.

"M-Morty move over so they can pass and get to the _–burrrrp-_ get to the swamps," he muttered carelessly as he grabbed a handful of berries tossing them into the basket.

"That is not what we intend to do," one of the slugs murmured, taking a sticky slide forward with its gun held out towards the two humans. Before Rick could even react the slug pulled the trigger and the dark green blast that shot from the barrel enclosed around Morty, instantly freezing him in place. The basket he had been holding fell to the ground shattering into millions of pieces, splattering the berries on the ground around them. With eyes wide and a frown on his face Rick stood facing the line of Coovi. He walked calmly in front of Morty's frozen body blocking the path between them and his grandson, attempting to keep his cool.

"Look," Rick began, letting out a large sigh while rubbing his temples, "we're-we're just here to collect Deprsi and-"

"Are you from dimension C-137?" a large green slug questioned cutting him off.

"And we'd - _burp_ \- like to get back to our ship and leave. No harm, no foul," Rick continued, ignoring the question.

"ARE YOU FROM DIMENSION C-137?" the slug asked again, his gravelly voice growing louder.

"Yes, but-"

"Seize them!" the creature yelled as the others began to slither forward.

Before Rick could even blink he reached in his back pocket pulling out a small laser gun, the only weapon he had carried with them, aimed it at the creatures, shot, then grabbed Morty's cold, frozen body pushing them both behind a large bolder and out of the Coovi's ray gun attacks. With his back up against the wall and his heart beating erratically in his chest Rick pulled out a small screwdriver from his pocket, flipped open a small cover on the ray gun in an attempt to tinker with it; knowing the small guns blast wouldn't stand a chance against ten attacking Coovi. His hands were slightly shaky as he struggled to rearrange the circuits within. But before he was able to click the last wire in place the Coovis' were on them and that was the last coherent thing he remembered.

Now, Rick was alone. There was no Morty. No ship. No baskets full of berries. No flask in his pocket.

He had awoken in a fury. Jumping up from the prone position he'd been in Rick cursed loudly as he turned in circles accessing his surroundings. His right hand quickly reached in his back pocket for the small laser gun, purely out of reflex, only to come up empty. And after a moment the memories flooded back into his aging mind, making the struggle obsolete. He had been placed down in a small cramped cell in a dank, dark dungeon. A constant _drip-drop_ was the only sound to accompany him.

He had been down here for hours now. No… days! Aw, hell. He wasn't really sure. No windows allowed access to the outside and the minutes seemed to creep along. So after the initial shock of everything had worn off he finally sat on the ground with his back against the cool, hard stone of the cell wall with only his thoughts to keep him company.

The Coovi's had taken everything from him and so he was stuck. The hope to escape had quickly diminished the longer he sat alone. The cell was barren, nothing to work with. The Coovi's had even taken his shoes _and_ lab coat which both could have easily assisted with an escape. Those fucking bastards. Something had spooked them. Their usual calm demeanor had all but vanished. And what did it matter if he was from dimension C-137? He had traveled here many times before without incident. And where was Morty? After coming to, Rick had called out to the other cells down in the dungeon only to realize he was alone. Were they going to kill him? Morty? Had they killed his grandson already? Deep regret coated Rick. He sighed, resting his elbows upon his knees, hanging his head between them. It had been a long time since he was in a position like this. Why hadn't he taken his usual ray gun, the one that could have done some significant damage, instead of the small piece of shit he had had with him? Past ventures to this relatively peaceful planet had clouded his judgement. He should have known better. Times had changed. He should have been better prepared. Hell, in all reality, he should have said no to Morty when he came inside the garage whining and shit about wanting to come along. But alas he had given in to his incessant griping and agreed he could come, as always. But the way Morty's face had brightened up once he had given in had warmed Rick's heart a little and he instantly frowned and grumbled to himself about how he could be out of this situation had he not even agreed to let his grandson join him. The little piece of shit….

A loud bang pulled Rick from his thoughts and he stood instantly, walking over towards the cell bars.

"Hey," he called out, attempting to peer out towards the direction of the loud sound. "Hey… motherfuckers!"

The sound of the slithering slug was growing louder the closer he came to Ricks cell. Hope filled Rick. This was his chance. This was the first time someone had come down to the dungeon and he knew he had to do something. If not then who knew when one of them would come down here again. But the growing courage vanished when the slug finally came into view. It was carrying a load of something wrapped up in a cloth. All but a small bare foot was visible; the rest of its body hidden from view. All snide remarks left Rick and the oxygen from his lungs depleted. _Morty?_

"You have a visitor," the slug chuckled as he stopped in front of Rick's small cell. There was a loud click and the cell door began to slide open. Rick's hands dropped from the bars and he backed away until his back came into contact with the damp wall, his eyes never leaving the bundle. All thoughts of escape were now gone. "Have fun," the bastard chuckled again as he tossed the lifeless body inside the cell next to Ricks feet. And without another word the cell closed and Rick was left all alone staring down at the foreign object that was still mostly wrapped around the cloth. He stood still for a few minutes trying to get a grip on his emotions. With wobbly feet he stepped around and over towards the still bundle on the ground. He bent down hugging his arms around his knees as his heart beat irregularly inside his chest. Rick reached out with a shaky hand to pull the cover away from the face of the body. Tears of joy almost fell from the corners of his eyes as he stared down at the unfamiliar face of a woman. _Thank you God in heaven above_ , he silently thought to himself. It wasn't Morty but that didn't mean his grandson was still alive somewhere else on this god forsaken planet.

Staring down at the unmoving body before him Rick reached down to check for a pulse. There was one, though it was a faint one. The creature looked relatively human but with all his treks across many galaxys' and different dimensions he knew he couldn't count on this woman being of the same species. And as far as he knew he was the only human on earth with the capabilities to travel through the universe leisurely. Rick grabbed her chin turning her head to get a better look at her features to try to deduce what sector she was from. She looked to be on the latter side of forty, at least according to human years. If she was from a different dimension there was really no telling how old she truly was. Her bright red lips matched her bright red hair perfectly. And by all standards of the human male she was stunning. But what was she doing here? Why out of all the cells was she put into the same one with him? Maybe she was sent in to kill him once and for all? He let go of her head allowing it to fall down onto the hard concrete of the floor and he quickly backed away putting as much room in between them as was allowed in the cramped cell.

After hours of staring down at the face of the unconscious female Rick finally gave into the constant pang his legs were giving him and sat down on the floor. When or if she finally woke he would be ready. If a fight is what the Coovi wanted, then a fight is what they were going to get. Even if it meant to the death. He had to try and escape. At least for Morty's sake…

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 **AN: Hello everyone! I really hope my fanfic is received well in this community! I just recently have gotten into this show and I have to say I've fallen in love. My muse for writing has been gone for sometime but after getting into this awesome show I was compelled to write again and thus this was fanfic was born! I hope I do the characters justice, or if something might need changing, please don't hesitate to let me know! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. There's defiantly more to come.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Shout Outs go to Wildgodess451, King Sabby, Whiteink254, and Morgan! Thank you guys so much for enjoying the story to fave, comment, ect... It makes it all worth it! :D Truth!**

 **Warning : This chapter involves some M/F violence. (I might change the rating to M, I'm just not sure yet)**

 **Now, on to the next installment~ Enjoy!**

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Slight scuffling pulled Rick out of a light slumber. As his conscience slowly cleared, memories from before quickly flooded Rick's mind. His eyes instantly snapped open and he was quickly up and on his feet, completely aware of his surroundings once more. Rick cleared his sinuses and spat on the floor; the sight before him doing nothing to calm his nerves. How could he have allowed himself to drift off? Especially in the presence of an unknown risk! He cursed silently to himself as his eyes stared down at the abandoned blanket lying in the middle of the cell floor. Light glinted off something in the corner, catching his eye. There, standing defensively in the shadows, was the woman, fully conscience now, wielding a ten inch golden knife.

"Sooooo," he began as he leaned up against the cool wall, his arms folding across his chest. "Here to kill me, huh? Wellllll, hate to break it to ya' but I-I-I'm no match for you, baby. Might as well surrender now." Rick gave the woman a sideways glance, his voice calm and even.

She chuckled softly and took a step forward, moving into the small bit of light that filtered through the narrow door of the cell. "You must be Rick," she said simply.

To say he was shocked that she knew him by name would be overstated. The name Rick Sanchez had traveled through dimensions, galaxies... In all honesty, he would be shocked if she hadn't known who he was. Rick matched her step and pulled himself into the light as well. She was a foot shorter than him, barely bigger than Morty, but her petite stature appeared stout. She donned some kind of military attire: a short sleeved gray shirt and dark camouflage pants. His eyes fell upon the golden knife she brandished in her hand. Questions of its origin swirled around his brilliant mind. Where had it come from? He had searched her earlier while she had been lying unconscienced and just like him the Coovi's had stripped her also of any useful items as well. The woman held a cautious look in her eye as she stared up at him, purposefully keeping the blade positioned in between them.

"I see my reputation precedes me," he stated with a sneer as he continued to stare down at her. Despite himself, Rick couldn't help but admire her beauty. Her bright emerald green eyes were striking against her pale, porcelain-like face and her hair was just the right shade of red… Without warning memories rapidly began to resurface and take over his mind. Rick hastily, and painfully, willed them away. He quickly went on the defensive; the smirk he once held vanishing from his face as a frown took its place, his brow knitting together in agitation.

Hard realization slapped Rick in the face. This is exactly what the Coovi's had wanted. They had to have somehow picked his brain while he was out of commission and attempted to reproduce what they had found in the locked black box within his mind. Wrong move. The bastards. Thoughts of Morty fluttered into his mind next. The repressed memories and thoughts of his grandson were taking over and quickly clouding his judgement away from the threat standing right in front of him. Rick's fluctuating memories only made his blood boil hotter. He was pissed. Mainly with himself. If he had been in the right state of mind earlier he would have easily been out of this hell hole and off of this fucking planet. Although he would never admit it to himself out loud, Rick _had_ allowed his emotions to get the best of him. He could have easily outsmarted the slug an escaped, but when he had saw the foot hanging limply from the blanket all rational thought had escaped him. This was exactly why he had been apprehensive to even come around Beth and her family in the first place. He had seen the Ricks' who had lost their Morty's; some going partly insane, others had actually resulted in killing themselves. He shuttered. That was defiantly not a road he wanted to venture down. He had more control over himself. He was the Rickest of all the Ricks, after all. The emotional investment in the cloaking device… Was it worth it? Damn… He defiantly needed that flask right about now. His sobering thoughts were defiantly messing with his sanity.

"You think you're that special?" she questioned raising a brow curiously; her melodic voice pulling Rick from his troubling thoughts.

Rick sighed heavily as he eyed the blade's golden edge. "Where d'ya have that thing shoved anyways?" he asked, attempting to deter his own thoughts.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" A smile tugged on the corner of her lips and she tightened her grip on the hilt.

Rick swallowed the large, dry lump in his throat, growing tired of the small chit-chat. He needed to do something before his thoughts consumed him. Standing around talking was just wasting precious time. So, without a second's hesitation or thought Rick lunged forward taking the woman completely by surprise as his fist connected quickly with the side of her jaw. The Coovi's were stupid to think that he wouldn't fight this copy. She stumbled backward a few steps, her hand speedily reaching to rub her jawline. She glared over at him, her eyes no longer holding their once cautious stare. Instead, hatred filled them; a rage he recognized and was familiar with. Good. Better she not hold back. He watched as blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth and she spat blood upon the stone floor. She slowly took a step to her left while Rick took a step to his right. The two moved counterclockwise, neither one taking an eye off the other. Before they had completed a full rotation in the small, cramped cell she sprang forward, the blade catching Rick in the forearm as he jumped back, slicing his skin and the sleeve apart like butter. Blood dripped from the wound, down his fingers and onto on to the floor. He paid it no mind. Cheap shot. He'd had worse. Now it was his turn. Rick darted forward grabbing the woman's wrist. She shrieked and thrashed about under his control, attempting to swipe the blade at his arm in any way that she could. He held her arms awkwardly away from his, though the golden blade's edge did catch the side of his arms, slicing a few more cuts into his skin. Rick gritted his teeth but never let her go. The two struggled in the small confides of the dark cell. Rick backed her up into a corner, his grip never wavering. For a split second the woman stopped struggling and leaned back against the cool stone wall. But instead of surrendering, she used the wall for leverage and pushed up off the floor, her bare feet connecting solidly with Rick's gut, kicking him away from her. He staggered backwards a few steps, gasping as breath was forced from his lungs.

He coughed loudly and took a huge gulp of air. "Oh-hoooo! Girls got spunk." He half chuckled, half coughed as he bent over to place his hands on his knees. Powerless at the moment while he tried to catch his breath, Rick was no match when the woman hurled herself across the small confides of the cell towards him. With her nimble stature she easily hopped upon his back, the blade securely between her clenched teeth. She locked her legs around his small waist and placed a chokehold around his neck. She squeezed.

"Now, you're going to listen to me," she purred next to his ear. Rick attempted to grapple at her arms but it was to no avail. She was a solid fixture upon his back. It was as if she was made of titanium; delicate, light, strong as hell. He bucked and shook, attempting to knock her loose. Then with a hard thrust, Rick shoved the woman against the wall with all the fight he had left in him. She cried out, dropping the blade from her mouth, while also loosening the grip she had on him. Taking the small window of opportunity Rick flipped her up and over his shoulders, tossing her upon the ground, her back connecting hard with the stone floor. He quickly kicked the blade away with his foot and out of her reach.

He smirked to himself victoriously as he stared down at the helpless woman. She was cowering beofre him now, her face withering in pain. Blood seeped from a wound on her head down her pale face where it finally dripped upon her shirt. "You were saying, bitc- Ahhhh."

Before Rick could even finish his sentence the woman swiped her foot across his legs, tripping him and making him fall down upon his hands and knees. She quickly hopped up from the ground and darted over towards the corner of the cell where he had kicked the knife away. With it in hand the woman slowly walked back over toward him cautiously. Rick turned over and sighed deeply as he leaned up against the wall to rub his sore knees. She stepped in between his outstretched legs, the blade pointed down towards him. He took a deep breath finally able to breathe and stared up at the woman who had ultimately subdued him; that is, until he could devise a plan, at least. Dark red blood ran in streaks down the side of her face making it look like ancient Amazonian war paint. Rick held up his hands. Fighting was apparently not the way to win with this woman. She clearly had had some combat training in her past and with the condition he was in he knew he would be no match for her if they decided to have a go at it again. So, if he couldn't fight her with brawns he would just have to fight her with the one thing that had never failed him in the past: his brain.

"Okay, okay. You win. I surrender." Rick leaned his head back up against the wall, welcoming its coolness while also allowing the woman to take note of his submission. He let out a large sigh and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts consume him. He could not let his emotions take over him again. Not now. Not with her. He had to be smart. Think clearly with his head. Though, with his lack of alcoholic substance, that was going to be easier said than done. She was the one who held the upper hand in this situation. The one with the mysterious blade. Rick still couldn't deduce if she was working for the Coovi's or not. If so, why not go ahead and kill him? But it was better that she hadn't ended it all just yet. What good was he to Morty if he was dead? That's if Morty _was_ still alive. But he banished the thoughts and begin to rub his temples. After a moment he heard her retreat away from him. When he reopened his eyes she was leaning against the cell door, staring through the bars and into the dungeon's empty hall. He watched from his corner of darkness as she pulled a necklace out from beneath her shirt. She held it firmly between her thumb and forefingers as she closed her eyes and moved her lips in prayer. Rick rolled his eyes and looked off to the side unable to take anymore.

"Do you have that out of your system now?" she questioned, her voice echoing within the small cell. "Because I don't need any more bullshit holding me back."

His head instantly snapped forward, confused. "Excu- errr… Wh-what?" The next thing she said froze Rick solid.

"I know where Morty is." She turned and stared down at him with a blank face, the weapon held loosely against her side.

"WHAT?" he yelled. Rick was on his feet in less than a second, his temper finally reaching the boiling point and tipping over. This bitch knew the whole time and hadn't said shit? Anger led his steps and he was on her in an instant.

"Uh, Mr. Sanchez, I'd think twice if I were you," she said coyly, a smirk upon her red lips. The tip of the blade rested against his Adams-apple, slightly piercing the skin. Blood droplets seeped swiftly down his throat and collected quickly into the fabric of his turquoise shirt. He swallowed, his throat moving the blade with the movement. After a moment's hesitation he backed away, his mind racing with wonder of this woman and how she knew of Morty and seemed to know of him as well. At the sight of him backing away a bright smile crossed her face causing all look of disdained to disappear. "Good. I'm glad we have an understanding, Mr. Sanchez. Now please, if you don't mind taking a seat back over there." She pointed over toward where he had been sitting before. "I'll be done here in a jiffy."

Taken aback by her change of tone, and consumed with thoughts of confusion, Rick slowly stepped back into the shadows. Apparently satisfied by his silence and compliance she placed the golden knife in a belt loop on her pants and reached up into her thick hair and pulled out what looked to be two bobby pins. He watched closely as she looped one within the other and pulled. There was a loud _pop_ and a bright light flashed for a millisecond, forcing him to shut his eyes. When he reopened them another small knife was in her hands. His brow furrowed as he wondered about the technologies behind the act she had just completed. She reached up and begin to slice through the locks of the cell door. _One, two, three_. The door groaned loudly as she pushed against it. With a few good shoves the door slid open wide enough for someone to slip out. She clicked a button on the hilt of the knife and with another loud _pop_ and burst of white light the knife was instantly transformed back into the bobby pins, which she then inserted back into her hair.

She turned with a smile to stare over at him; it was as if the scuffle between them earlier had never happened. "Well," she began, pulling the knife out of her belt loop. "You coming?"

Without another word she slipped through the opening and was out of the cell, leaving Rick alone. His eyes grew wide as he stared through the opening. What luck had he just ran into? Of course he was going to come.

"Hey!" he called out, jumping up and sprinting towards the open door. "W-w-wait up!"

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 **A/N:** **I do hope you guys enjoyed! I'm going to start incorporating the Female's Point Of View starting with the next chapter. I think it'll be fun to write from both perspectives! Chapter Three will be coming soon! Stay tuned...**


	3. Chapter Three

**How about that season finale, huh? Such a tearjerker! And another year and a half to wait for more episodes? How can we deal with that sort of delay? In the meantime I hope my Fic will be one way for people to get in their healthy dose of Rick and Morty! And now before you delve into the chapter** **I only have one thing to say: FREE RICK!**

 **Enjoy! :D**

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Cool, stagnant water from puddles that littered the filthy stone floor splashed upon her dirty feet and soaked the ends of her tattered cargo pants as she ran through them towards the closed steel door at the far end of the corridor. This was it. Her last chance. And if it played out the way she hoped, the way she had planned it, everything should be fine. Running into the two extra variables in the Coovi's fortress had only been a plus. Three people were better than one; which is what she had been, that is, before the Coovi's had interrupted her heist and captured her. _Dammit_. Cora had been right all along and it physically pained her to admit it. But it was only a minor setback. This time would be better. She knew what to do differently now and it would make all the difference. She just hoped this new variable that was with her was a decent and cooperative shot.

"Hey! W-w-wait up!" Rick called from behind, his voice echoing throughout the hall pulling her from her troubling thoughts. As she neared the black, steel door her footsteps slowed, and she turned, giving Rick her full attention. His narrow hips were stuck in the opening of the cell door but after a few heaves Rick finally pulled himself free. He was somewhat wobbly on his feet at first, his knees shaking and buckling, and he drunkenly fell against the wall. She watched, unblinking, as he took a breather using the wall to hold himself up. Then, after a moment, he regained his balance and straightened up. Rick dusted himself off, though it did no good for his shirt was a muddy and bloody mess already, and acted as though nothing were amiss. He blinked once then looked forward, their eyes locking together. "Well, what now? Where's Morty?"

"In due time," she said simply. With a smile, she turned around to face the locked and imposing door in front of her. Not wanting to waste any more time she quickly reached up into her hair and fished out the two small bobby pins. Once found, she looped them together and pulled. With the standard loud _pop_ and bright flash of light the two items she held between her fingers morphed before her eyes and into the black blade she now held in her hands. Her smile widened. That never got old. Rick's footsteps were fast approaching from behind but she paid them no mind and bent down, facing the first task at hand: cutting away the hinges.

"W-where do you expect to go once you've opened the door?" Rick questioned once he was by her side. As the second hinge fell to the ground with a loud thud she blew out a puff of air and pushed some hair off of her sticky, sweaty face. Putting a knee on the ground she turned slightly to stare up at the imposing figure by her side. Rick was leaning back against the stone wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His brow was arched in suspicion and he held a sardonic look upon his face. It instantly put a bad taste in her mouth and a weird feeling in her gut. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to keep him alive. Even though he had traveled here with his grandson, who had seemed to be a harmless little teenage boy, that didn't mean this man before her could be any less menacing than the Ickleflorps had been on Planet Blakawood. Those devils fed their offspring to the worms just for the fun of it. She shuttered remembering those poor helpless striplings as they attempted to battle for their lives and had ultimately lost. Blinking, she stared up at the man before her, dismissing the horrible memories. If it came down to it she _would_ put a blade through his heart. Yes, she did need the extra help for when she sought after the Coovi's most prized possession again but not at the cost of having to look over her shoulder every five seconds to make sure her companion wasn't about to murder her and leave her behind. She would escape with or without Mister Rick Sanchez in tow and with Morty, of course. _Oh, Morty._ The poor boy. He had been a sniveling, crying mess when she had ran into him in the upper level dungeons of the citadel. After talking for a brief minute she had learned a great deal about Morty Smith and Rick Sanchez, his great and brilliant grandfather. The boy rambled on and cried all the while, begging for help to free him and to find his grandpa. _Damn kids_. In all honesty, Morty had better be glad he was a poor an innocent child; if not she highly doubted she would have stopped by his cell in the first place. But alas, a terrible tragedy had forever branded children as sacred in her eyes and she would never, ever leave a child that was in trouble behind. If it could be helped. And for this reason she had agreed to go find this mysterious Rick Sanchez first. She would never dream of dragging Morty around this large labyrinth-like place with her, blindly searching. It had ultimately been pure luck when she had awoken in the cell with none other than the man she had planned on looking for; after she had retrieved what she had come for in the first place, that is. As much as she might grow to regret it, she _had_ kept the child's grandfather alive. For Morty. She stared up at his hardened features. Rick did look as if he liked to cause trouble and with what she had planned that was not going to be good. But, unless it came down to dire circumstances, she would keep Rick Sanchez breathing.

"Well," she began, standing, and making sure she held out the blade between them with purpose. She wasn't about to let her guard down. "We're going to locate our items and then you and I are going to head down to the Great Fenbeni' Hall."

"For what?!" he questioned loudly.

"Shhh…" she said, jumping up quickly and placing a hand over his mouth before she could even think clearly. What was she doing? The two stared at each other in silence. She blinked and then untangled herself from him, removing her hand from over his lips. "Sorry," she whispered as she turned back to the hinges, using her hair as a shield to hide the growing blush upon her face. "I need to retrieve something the Coovi's have, then we'll go find your grandson."

A hard and awkward silence fell between the two as she kept working on the rest of hinges; silently thankful she had something to do to keep her hands busy. Right before the last hinge fell to the ground, Rick moved by her side and placed his hands flat against the door, helping hold it in an upright position. She gave him small smile and then quickly transformed the black blade back into the two small bobby pins and plucked them back into her thick tendrils. She then placed her hands upon the cool surface of the door, a wide smile spreading across her face as a rush of adrenaline pumped through her veins. It was almost show time!

She stared up at the man next to her. "You ready?" she questioned. He only nodded once, his brow knitting together in hard concentration. In tedium, as if the two had done this multiple times before, they carefully and silently laid down the heavy door upon the dusty floor without a sound. She pulled her usual golden blade out from her belt loop and stared up at Rick. With a determined look on her face she nodded in his direction and then, swiftly and quietly, exited the dungeon.

 **XxX**

Rick followed quietly behind her, putting what little trust he had in the stranger. He hoped silently she hadn't been lying when she said she knew where to find Morty. Lord help her if she was. Rick was only bidding his time until he could figure out a way to gain control over her. He hadn't found his outing just yet but soon he knew he would. Rick complied and followed behind her silently down the brightly lit hallway. The large florescent lights and white painted walls resembled more of a hospital rather than a massive bastion for large alien slugs. The slate gray tile helped mask their footsteps as the two made their way down a long, narrow hall. There were no windows and the few doors the two did pass held nothing for invitation. He just hoped she knew exactly where she was going and what she was doing. It wouldn't be the first time he had been led blindly somewhere by a complete idiot and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Morty was his grandson after all…

After a few lefts and rights, the woman stopped in front of yet another generic looking door. She looked back up and down the hallway as if making sure they were still alone then she reached up into her hair and pulled out the same two signature bobby pins. Once they morphed into the useful solid black knife, she quickly jammed it into the keyhole. She grunted as she struggled to twist it to the left and after a few heaves the door clicked softly and swung open creakily. They were greeted with what looked to be a small storage room. It was almost as atrocious as the cell down in the dungeon. Foreign items littered the shelves that were stacked against the wall, which had something green and orange growing on it; some things swirled around in jars while bits and pieces of old ray guns lay shattered and covered in a thick layer of dust. Without hesitation the woman trudged forward and began digging around through the mess. When Rick didn't follow suit she stopped her rummaging and blinked, giving him her full attention.

"C'mon your things might be in here." She straightened and jerked the knife out of the doorknob, then with her free hand she grabbed Rick's unsliced wrist and pulled him into the small storage room alongside her, closing the door behind them. "Now," she began as she flicked on a light, "let's hurry. We don't have much time."

"W-wait just a minute here," Rick stated as he stared down at the back of the woman as she began picking through the mess again. "Let me get this straight…" She stopped and turned, staring up at him with her round doe eyes. "What are you here for? Why did the… err….Who are you really working for?" Rick placed his hands on his hips and bent down slightly. Something wasn't quite right. If she wasn't working for the Coovi's then who could she be working for? Randomly saving him and taking him to his grandson as well? Very odd. Rarely did Rick come into contact with helpful beings. Like Rick, most aliens were the 'kill now and ask questions later' type. He was curious of her and her actions and of her origins, and he definitely wasn't going to let his guard down in front of her, no matter how level headed she seemed. The best killers were almost always the most composed.

Instead of a large rebuttal Rick had expected to receive, he was pleasantly surprised when she smiled brightly again and said, "I'll explain everything once we've reached Destiny."

"Destiny…?"

She nodded once before returning back to the filthy items upon the shelves. "Uh-huh. It's my ship. I parked her forty clicks north of here and if I can find my transmitter… AH HA!" With a flat green box in hand the small woman before him jumped up quickly and gave him a brief hug around the waist then begin to bounce around the small confides happily. "With this," she said, turning to Rick to show him what she had in hand, "we can defiantly escape!"

So she had a mode of transportation... good. But Rick was slightly troubled as he watched her open the small box in hand. How could he trust this stranger to get him off of this planet? A woman at that, no less. He eyed her skeptically. If she began breaking down, or better yet, _when_ she broke down he would defiantly be taking that small little green box from her and, with Morty at his side, escape this vile planet without her. He would not let a woman slow him down. She found some boots that had been stacked in the corner and began slipping them on. It was then he let his guard down slightly and followed suit, rummaging through the pile of useless old junk. Unfortunately his flask, lab coat or small laser gun was nowhere to be found but Rick did manage to come across a larger ray gun, broken of course, and some tools. He quickly toiled his fingers as he reworked the gun's circuitry within. After a few moments Rick tightened up the last screw and tossed the screwdriver on the floor. He held the gun out in front of him, inspecting it, unsure of how effective it would be. He tossed it from his left to right hand adjusting to its weight then, without warning, Rick pointed the gun at the corner of the room and pulled the trigger. The orange blast that shot from the barrel instantly disintegrated a rickety shelve, part of the wall, and the only light source the small room permitted, leaving a billowing cloud of brown smoke in its wake. From the other room light filtered through the large, gaping hole in the wall, shining upon the woman's face as she sat in the floor staring up at Rick with a foul look in her eye.

"WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK!?" she shouted, jumping up from the sitting position she'd been in. Rick just shrugged slightly and tucked the gun into his back pocket quite satisfied with the damage.

"Relax… Listen," he said, holding up his hands before him. Rick leaned over toward the door and pressed an ear up against it. "I don't think any one's the wiser out there." As he turned back around to face the woman he was quickly knocked back and pinned up against the wall; the palm of her hand connecting with his cheek.

"Don't you ever, EVER do that again! Not now! Not EVER! Unless we _need_ it... I swear… If we get caught _now_ after everything…!" Her voice trailed off, her features beet red from anger. She paced in circles grumbling to herself as she fumed. Rick laughed and by the death stare she shot over at him it had been another wrong move on his part. The woman reared back, her hand up in the air in another attempt to connect with his cheek, but this time Rick was faster and caught her by the arm. He pulled her to him, their chests touching. He smirked down at her, making sure he had her complete attention before speaking again.

"How about we make one thing clear," his voice was menacing, smooth and evil as he spoke softly in the darkness; his breath hot upon her cheeks. "The next time you lay a hand on me it will be your last. Understand…?"

She stared up at him, small tears staining her emerald eyes. Just when he was about to let her go he was quickly taken by surprise when the woman's face twisted from fear to cruel in less than a second. In the blink of an eye the woman spun around to the right until she was behind him, subduing him again with his wrist pushed up against his back. She was a stout being and Rick lifted up his leg about to kick her in the shins but he was forced to put his foot back down on the ground when he felt the tip end of a blade pierce through his sweater and into the skin of his back.

"I thought we had an understanding, Mr. Sanchez," she said coyly. Rick sighed and hung his head. For the first time in a long time he actually felt his age. He needed to get off this planet and regroup. No one ever took cheap shots at him and lived to tell the tale. But this woman. This… enigma, she had subdued him more than once. He silently wished he was back in his prime. He would have already eliminated the threat before she had even woke in the cell. And at this moment in time, against his better judgement, Rick gave in and relaxed against her. As of right now he knew he was in no shape to do much but to follow her orders. He had to trust she knew where Morty was and that was harder said than done. "Good. Very good," she purred behind him. Her voice held a slight smile with her words and after a moment she let him go, releasing the grasp she had upon his wrist and removing the blade from his back. "Got everything you need?" she questioned as she walked slowly around him to stand right in front of him.

"Er…." Rick lifted the gun from his pocket, aiming it at her as a merciless smile spread across his face. Instead of her cowering from him in fear, as he had expected, she only laughed.

"C'mon Mr. Sanchez, we have places to be." With that she reached for the door, cracking it open to peer out into the hall.

"Who are you?" he asked, the question blurting form his lips before he could censor it.

She turned to stare back at him, the elated smile still plastered upon her bloodied face. "Ivanka. My name is Ivanka. But you can call me Iva'." With a wink she turned her attention back to the door and pulled it opened slowly. She was out before Rick could even respond.

* * *

 **Note:** **I'm not sure if anyone needs this information but just a little FYI -Iva is pronounced like Eva-**

 **Until next time...**


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